I meant "strip" as in "take away". In hindsight, poor choice of words on my part.

They smuggle the stuff in their body cavities. Without dong a physical body cavity search which requires a warrant (and therefore probably cause which requires articulable facts) you can never be certain. One person got a gun into county jail by claiming his artificial leg was surgically attach. Many modern court rulings and law suits have taken the teeth out of inmate checks.

Many people are waiting for the day when the aclu gets an inmates cell declared a dwelling and requires a warrant to search.